Page 353 - Gulf Precis (VI)_Neat

Chapter XXI. 321
him up in either a gunny hag, or a blanket, or a red quilt (each of the three
witnesso3 produced by the Turkish police named different covering); that two
sepoys—whose identification by the said witnesses was more than doubtful—
carried the parcel (the said witnesses did not speak of it as the corpse, probably
to lessen (ho degree of their complicity) to the river bank whore another sepoy
had engaged a Goo fa circular coraclo used on tbo Tigris) belonging to one
Abbas to a landing-place about a quarter of a mile bolow tbo lines of the sepoys;
where it was met hv two other sepoys; that these four sepoys then took the
parcel to a Khan into which they bribed Abdullah, (ho watchman of the Khan,
to admit it and that the sepoys then buried the parcel in the Khan, while Akram
(who did not come in (ho Goofa) stood over Abdullah with a knife and a pistol
lest ho should interfere or sec too much. This briefly is the outline of tho
story told by tbo three witnesses, Abdullah, Akram, and Abbas, the Goofaebi,
produced by the Turkish police. The story was, in Major Ncwmarch’s opinion,
preposterous : it blazed with contradictions, incongruities and improbabilities,
and Akram at any rate has told the Kesident that bis version of it was not only
false but entirely without foundation, told because the police beat him until be
confessed something. Akram said bo identified those sepoys whom the police
told him to identify and Abbas Goofaebi said lie identified those sepoys whom
Akram told him to identify.
218. Major Newma veil's theory of the crime was that the Jamadar’s mur­
der bad long been contemplated not only by the detachment at Baghdad, but
by others at the head-quarters of the regiment, that advantage was taken of the
Resident's temporary absence from Baghdad to commit tho crime ; that tho
Jemadar was enticed from the lines by the said Abdullah, who told him that bo
could provide him with a lovely woman in bis Khan : the Ivban was rented by
Mr. D’Arev of the Persian Oil Concession, and at the time of the murder was
unoccupied except by Abdullah, who was the watchman of the Khan ; that the
Jemadar fell into tho trap and on entering a dark room in the Khan was mur­
dered by Abdullah who was probably assisted by Akram and Abbas, the Goofa­
ebi, that these three men then buried him in the Khan with his lantern where
lie was found and that they were paid for tlieir work by a subscription among
the sepoys of the detachment hero. Tho evidence was far from complete, but
thcro was, the Besident thought, much in support of the latter’s theory.
219. As a result of the discovery of the body of tbo Jemadar, through tbo
information given by Lnncc-Naik Abdul Karim, the latter was driven to save
himself, as lie imagined lie oould, from the vengeance of bis guilty comrades to
seek to murder those who are supposed to have threatened him. So on the lStli
February, Lanco-Naik Abdul Karim ran amock, shot dead three sepoys (Nadir
Khan, Gaiba Khau and Laucc-Naik Alum Khan); and two of the Kavasscs,
one of whom was a Kandaliari and the other a border Patlian. He then got on
the roof of the lines and threatened to shoot any ono, who came near him,
Major Newmnrch and Captain Cox then approached him from a neighbouring
roof and had him arrested.
220. There was little doubt that nearly tho whole, if not the whole, of
the detachment had been implicated in the Jamadar’s murder, and no other
course was left to Major Nowmarch than to disband tho whole force, lie there­
fore handed over 12 of the men accused of the murder and complicity in it,
and Abdul Karim for temporary custody to the Turkish authorities, and con-
fiued the rest to the lines and placed them under a Turkish guard for their pro­
tection, which the • TVali was, at the Consul-General’s roquest, pleased to
furnish a Turkish police guard also guarded the Consulate.
221. Major Newmavch was of opinion that the whole of the Indian guard
should bo relieved by some other regiment. At tbo same time ho feared that
the Turks might make the recent occurrence ground for urging tho withdrawal
of tbo guard (telegram dated 18th February).
Ilid, No. 617.
His Majesty’s Ambassador, on the other hand,
anticipated difficulty with tho Porto about despatoh of a now Indian guard,
especially if they bad to undergo quarantine at Basrah and suggested that matters
would bo facilitated if they were transhipped
Hid, Nob. .'.33, 634 mid 033.
to tho Comet at sea (telegram dated Gth
March). Tho relieving detachment from the 120th Infantry undor Captain
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